Educational Resources

There are several educational resources that are available at MBARI although we rely heavily on our partner institution (the Monterey Bay Aquarium) for much of our public outreach. Teacher Professional Development opportunities at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are posted.

MBARI does have an educator professional development workshop that generally runs in the summer for a week. This program is called Education And Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH) and the objective is to get more real data into the classrooms. The workshop is open to all educators in the United States and the application process includes a cover letter (stating why you would like to participate and why you should be selected) as well as an evaluation rubric showing how you used and evaluated one of the currently available EARTH activities. You can find these activities and more about the EARTH program.

MBARI has a formal seminar program that is open to the public, our seminars are generally on Wednesday mornings from 11 am to noon. You can find more information on the program and upcoming speakers on the seminar blog below.

MBARI’s summer internship program started in 1997 and currently runs for ten weeks (June-August) every year. The application process for 2020 (June 8 – August 14) is now open (Deadline is February 21, 2020 at 0800 hours PST). We accept up to 12 interns each year although some years we do have additional interns with external funding. Visit the link below for more information about the program and the application process.

MBARI is also working with the National Science Foundation-funded Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) to facilitate the adoption of ocean profiling floats by schools interested in working with real data – see link below for more information.

MBARI collaborates with a National Science Foundation-funded Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) and has some science kits available for loan. You do have to arrange pickup and drop-off of these kits, you can find more information (all the lesson plans are posted online) and signup instructions below.

Adopt-A-Float Program

The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) project is partnering with teachers and classrooms across the country to inspire and educate students about the Southern Ocean biogeochemistry and climate change through a pilot “Adopt-A-Float” initiative. This program creates a powerful opportunity for elementary- and secondary-school-aged students to engage directly with world-class scientists and learn about their research by naming and tracking SOCCOM floats.

Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH)

EARTH uses near-real-time data from ocean observatories and other researcher datasets to design and test outreach with the Internet as an interface to scientists, teachers, students, and the public. Workshops are held during the summer and interested educators are asked to trial an existing EARTH activity and complete a rubric as part of the application. EARTH 2018 will be in Newport, Oregon June 24-29.

MBARI Summer Internship Program

The application period for the 2020 MBARI summer internship program is now closed. This 10-week internship allows college students and educators to come to MBARI and work on a research or outreach project.

Seminars

MBARI seminars are usually held on Wednesdays (unless indicated otherwise) at 11:00 a.m. in the Pacific Forum and are open to the public. The seminars cover a wide range of topics related to deep-ocean research and engineering. Our speakers include top scientists and engineers from all over the world, as well as from MBARI.
Science kit available for loan

Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) Science Kits

C-MORE science kits offer lesson plans and materials for hands-on science activities in a self-contained format. They are designed for use with a range of grade levels. Each kit provides the information and supplies necessary for educators to teach their students about a particular topic in oceanography. These easy to use kits are a great resource for any classroom. These kits can be borrowed for short periods of time – you are responsible for arranging both pickup and drop-off of the kits.

Products

Data repository
Data policy
What is happening in Monterey Bay today?
Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System
Chemical data
Ocean float data
Slough data
Mooring ISUS measurements
Southern Ocean Data
Mooring data
M1 Mooring Summary Data
M1 ADCP (CeNCOOS)
M1 Asimet
M1 download Info
M1 EMeter
M1 Fluorometer (CeNCOOS)
Molecular and genomics data
ESP Web Portal
Seafloor mapping
Upper ocean data
Spatial Temporal Oceanographic Query System (STOQS) Data
Image gallery
Video library
Seminars
Previous seminars
David Packard Distinguished Lecturers
Research software
Video Annotation and Reference System
System overview
Data Use Policy
Knowledgebase
Annotation
Video Tape User Guide
Video File User Guide
Annotation Glossary
Query Interface
Basic User Guide
Advanced User Guide
Results
Query Glossary
FAQ
VARS publications
VARS datasets used in publications
Oceanographic Decision Support System
MB-System seafloor mapping software
How to download and install MB-System
MB-System Documentation
MB-System Announcements
MB-System Announcements (Archive)
MB-System FAQ
MB-System Discussion Lists
MB-System YouTube Tutorials
Matlab scripts: Linear regressions
Introduction to Model I and Model II linear regressions
A brief history of Model II regression analysis
Index of downloadable files
Summary of modifications
Regression rules of thumb
Results for Model I and Model II regressions
Graphs of the Model I and Model II regressions
Which regression: Model I or Model II?
Matlab scripts: Oceanographic calculations
Matlab scripts: Sound velocity
Visual Basic for Excel: Oceanographic calculations
Educational resources
MBARI Summer Internship Program
2017 Summer Interns Blog
Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH)
EARTH workshops
2016—New Brunswick, NJ
2015—Newport, Oregon
2016 Satellite workshop—Pensacola, FL
2016 Satellite workshop—Beaufort, NC
EARTH resources
EARTH lesson plans
Lesson plans—published
Lesson plans—development
Lesson drafts—2015
Lesson drafts—2016 Pensacola
Adopt-A-Float Program
Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) Science Kits
Publications
Sample archive

Related publications

  • Lodes, K., G.I. Matsumoto, and J. Magnusson. 2018. Education And Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH). Marine Technology Society. Volume 52, Issue 1 p. 12-17. https://doi.org/10.4031/MTSJ.52.1.3
  • Lewis, A. & Matsumoto, G. (2017) Science Educator Professional Development: Big Data and Inquiry Learning in Optimizing STEM Education with Advanced ICTs and Simulations: Tools and Solutions for Inquiry-Based STEM Learning.” Edited by Ilya Levin & Dina Tsybulsky. IGE Global p.219-244.
  • Matsumoto, G.I. 2015. A different approach to the research internship. Marine Technology Society. 49(4):35-44. DOI: 10.4031/MTSJ.49.4.1
  • Kevin Raskoff and G.I. Matsumoto. 2015. Caveat lector: the perils of critical thinking for today’s students. California Classroom Science. 27(6). http://www.classroomscience.org/caveat-lector-the-perils-of-critical-thinking-for-todays-students.